Hi CJ,

good reading. Indeed many people think that an automated approach could solve these issues.

Imho, the non-technical issues are the dominant ones. Audience expectations and habits, cinema/chains habits, audio engineers expectations and habits, staff education.

I remember watching 'The pursuit of happiness' a long time ago with my aged father-in-law. 

Not exactly known as an excruciating action loaded ear blasting flic.

Well, we couldn't avoid sitting through some advertising before the main movie started.

Years later, whenever we talked about cinema in general, or that specific movie, he was still complaining how effin loud that movie was. 

In fact it wasn't loud at all, it was one damned 30second candy ad right at the beginning of the show that at the time wasn't leveled to any standard and that staff didn't bother to adjust level for. He couldn't remember what the movie was about or anything else, but he still knew that it was too loud to remember it as a joyful experience.

- Carsten